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Transfer of Housing Service to Barnet Homes

A detailed analysis of the proposed transfer of the London Borough of Barnet’s Housing Service to Barnet Homes, the ALMO established in 2004. The Council truncated the options appraisal and business case into one process, limiting the options and pre-selecting the preferred option, and has led to a further deterioration in the quality of options appraisals and business cases in Barnet.

2012-01-13 14:54:09

Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) for Adult and Housing Services

The London Borough of Barnet plans to establish a LATC that requires Adult Services to generate up to 90% of the £0.7m annual profit. Yet the financial viability of Barnet Group Ltd (Yours Choice Barnet and Barnet Homes) is highly questionable. This report details the flawed appraisal process, the reasons for financial instability, governance and the potential impact on service users and staff.

2012-01-13 14:25:54

New edition of PPP Database on Strategic Partnerships

The Database now covers 48 strategic partnerships and has been expanded with more analysis of operational contracts, a new Strategic Partnership Performance Ratio, and new tables on community trusts in strategic partnerships and contractor performance.

2011-11-27 11:25:04

Compelling Evidence Against a Strategic Partnership

Analysis of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets approach to procurement of a strategic partnership for ICT and corporate services, employing 615 staff. Reveals that there was no evidence of an options or business case prior to the start of procurement. Highlights the limitations of strategic partnerships and the potential impact on the local economy if services are located elsewhere. Proposes an alternative approach to service improvement.

2011-11-21 08:31:13

IN PLACE OF AUSTERITY: Reconstructing the economy, state and public services by Dexter Whitfield

Paperback £18.00 – ISBN: 978 085124 7939 Order online at: http://www.spokesmanbooks.com/acatalog/Dexter_Whitfield.html#a601

ePUB format of the book is available @ £11.99 – ISBN: 978 0 85124 7946. Order: http://www.spokesmanbooks.com/acatalog/ePUB_eBooks.html#a240

A Summary of the book and the Press Release is also available on the ESSU website.

2011-11-17 11:35:49

Barnet seeks to terminate Greenwich Leisure Ltd contract

The London Borough of Barnet is considering terminating a 15 year leisure services contract. This is a story of mismanagement of a single service contract that again exposes the high-risk strategy and assumptions proposed by the One Barnet model. Meanwhile, the Council is at the procurement stage of several multi- service, multi-million pound, long-term contracts that are up to 50 times the value of the leisure contract!

2011-11-11 13:01:09

Privatisation of London’s Fire Service Training and Control Centre

The planned outsourcing of Fire Service training and Fire Control services could result in the fracturing of Fire and Emergency services in London. A report for the FBU, UNISON and GMB exposes the threat to the fire and rescue service by outsourcing fire service training and the Fire Control service. New high risks will be imposed on fire service, potential discrimination in the treatment of staff, and a flawed procurement process driven by political dogma.

2011-10-22 09:47:55

Select Committees recommend sharing PFI equity profits and criticise use of tax havens

Following detailed evidence of Private Finance Initiative equity profiteering and the transfer of assets to tax havens submitted by Dexter Whitfield, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has recommended gain sharing in new and existing PFI projects (1 September 2011). The Committee called for the Treasury to measure tax revenue from PFI deals and ensure this is taken into account in project assessments. It recommended Freedom of Information be extended to private companies delivering public services. An earlier report by the House of Commons Treasury Committee (August 2011) also included the PFI profits evidence, and was highly critical of the cost of PFI, off-balance sheeting financing and value for money assessments.

2011-09-06 09:24:45

社会服务现代化 - Modernising Social Services? Evidence from the Frontline

This 2004 report by the Centre for Public Services has been reprinted in a new book, ‘Social Services’, by Li Bing, PH.D. Vice Professor, the Department of Sociology, Beijing Administrative College. The Chinese version can be downloaded (the English version in our publications section). The report examines the implementation of the previous government’s modernisation agenda for public sector reform and gives a voice to social care professionals at the frontline of service delivery and modernisation. It gives their impressions of how the key aspects of the government’s agenda were being implemented on the ground and shows how it undermined service quality and the welfare state.

2011-07-24 15:19:56

Social Policy Association Award for Outstanding Contribution from a Non-Academic

Dexter Whitfield has received the 2011 Social Policy Association Award for Outstanding Contribution from a Non-Academic. The award “celebrates his work in campaigning, research and advocacy for fairer UK state services over 40 years and, in particular, his defence of welfare services against privatisation and marketisation”.

2011-07-15 12:04:45